Holtz



E. F. GOBEN.

SPIKE FULLER.

APPLICATION HLED JAN. 22,19I6.

Patented Aug. 1, 1916.

Z?z (/67 a 9?" E dzvar'd Z132 en EDWARD FISHER GOBEN, OF DEWAR, OKLAHOMA, ASSIGNOR F ONE-THIRD T0 MEIN- HOL'IZ & MGKAY, A PARTNERSHIP COMPOSED OF HENRY MEINHOLTZ AND DUNCAN MQKAY, OF OKIVIULGEE COUNTY, OKLAHOMA.

SPIKE-FULLER.

Specification of Letters Ilatent.

Patented Aug. 1, 1916.

Application filed January 22, 1916. Serial No. 73,692.

- citizen of the United States, residing at Dewar, in the county of Okmulgee and State of Oklahoma, have invented new and useful Improvements in Spike-Pullers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to spike pullers, and the primary object of the same is to provide a simple and effective device of this class having means for tightly engaging the head of a spike and operating to increase the grasping tension on the spike head during the pulling operation and also .institute a compound fulcrum action through the medium of a support having an arcuate edge adjacent to the spike engaging means and a terminal convex extension, the compound fulcrum action being effected through a rocking or rolling movement of the support.

A further object of the invention is to provide a spike puller having a rocking or rolling support carrying the spike engaging devices including a main prying lever on the outer side and forming the opposite side flat or clear of projections to bear closely against the head or ball of a rail. to brace theentire device dur1ng its operation, the support having such area as to compensate for maximum movement thereof in pulling or drawing a spike without liability of disengagement of the support from the head or ball of the rail.

lVith these '1 and other objects and advantages in View the invention consists in the construction and arrangement of the several parts which will be more fully hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawing 2. Figure 1 is a perspective view of a spike puller embodying the features of the invention and broken away in part. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the puller shown applied to a rail and in open ative position to draw a spike the puller being illustrated in dotted and full lines to show both the manner of applying the same and the operation thereof. Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical section through therail and a portion of the tie as shown by Fig. 2 and illustrating the improved spike puller in applied position and in edge elevation.

The numeral 5 designates the support of the device which also constitutes part of the operating means and consists of a flat plate of considerable strength and durability which is mainly of circular contour and provided at one extremity with a semi-elliptical fulcrum extension 6 and at the opposite extremity with a substantially rectan gular tapping projection 7. The lower edge of the support or body 5 in advance of the adjacent lower edge of the rear fulcrum extension 6 is formed with a series of teeth or serrations, as at 8, the said lower edge 8 with its teeth constituting the primal fulcrum for the complete device in view of the fact that the said edge is below the lower edge of the extension 6. In advance of the toothed lower edge 8 a spike head clearing recess 9 is formed, and on the outer side ofthe support or body 5 are a fixed jaw 10 and a movable j aw 11, the latter being pivoted or fulcrumed, as at 12, and having an elongated handleor rein 13. The jaw 11 with its elongated handle serves as a prying lever operating in opposition to the fixed jaw 10 and is also used in manipulating the complete device when drawing or pulling a spike. The fixed jaw 10 has a reduced shank ll integrally formed with a thickened head 15 provided with an inwardly inclined toe 16 at the inner edge which, with a portion of the head 15, depends below the lower edge of the support or body 5 a preferred or desired distance. The fixed jaw 10 is removably held on the outer side of the support or body 5 by bolts and nuts 17 and may be easily detached for sharpening the toe 16, and in event of breakage this fixed jaw may be replaced by another similar device at a comparatively small expense. Thev movable jaw 11 also has an enlarged head 18 at its lower end terminating at the inner edge in a downwardly inclined toe 19 to co6perate with the toe 16 of the jaw 10, the two toes 16 and 19 being applied to opposite sides of a spike below the head of the latter when the puller is set in position for drawing a spike. The movable jaw 11 with its handle or rein 13 may also be detached and the toe 19 sharpened when found necessary. As hereinbefore specified, the support or body 5 is of plate form or flat and the inner side thereof, or the side that comes next to the rail, is without projection or broken structure of any character so that the said inner side of the support or body 5 may be brought into close movable contact with the outer edge portion of the head or ball of a rail to brace the puller as a whole during the operation of pulling or drawing a spike.

In applying the improved device to a spike it is first arranged as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2 with the toes 16 and '19 closely impinging against the opposite sides of the spike immediately under the head of the latter and when in this position the lower toothed edge 8 will bear upon the outer portion of the rail flange and the device will be pushed inwardly far enough relatively to the rail to cause the inner smooth or unbroken side of the support or body 5 to snuglyengage the outer edge of the head or ball of the rail. The operator then pulls the *devicetoward him by means of "the handle on the'handle or rein 13 the lower'edge of the fulcrum extension 6 will eventuallyengage the flange railat a time when the spike will have been sufficiently loosened to. permit a ready complete withdrawal thereof by continuing the movementof the support or body 5 on the fulcrum extension 6. During this movement of the support or body 5 a material bracing action will ensue by reason of the engagement of the inner side of the support or body 5 with the outer edge ofthe head or ball of the rail, and it will be seen bythis bracing engagement of the support or body with the rail head or ball that the device is held in place and is materially strengthened, especially when the pull on the device is exerted in a slight inward lateral direction. When a spike head is embedded in the tie the toes 16 and 19 may be driven" thereunder by tapping on the upper edge of the projection 7 with a hammer or I frogs and on bridges where the use of ordinary spike pullers is impracticable.

The improved spikepuller willbe found exceptionally advantageous in its operation plied to and movable over the and the parts thereof may be readily associated and cheaply manufactured. It is also proposed to vary the proportions and dimensions of the device to adapt the same for pulling nails as well as spikes.

What is claimed is:

1. In a spike puller, a flat support having a lower curved edge with teeth forming a primal fulcrum edge and a rear semi-elliptical extension formed with a lower edge of less arcuate extent than the said primal fulcrum edge and providing an additional fulcrum means which intersects and continues from the terminal of the said toothed lower curved edge, the lower edge of the extension being normally above the'said toothed edge of the support, a fixed jaw removably applied'to the outer side of the support having a lower extremity with a toe depending below the lower'edge of the support, and a pivoted jaw also having a lower toe depending below the lower edge of the support to 'cooperatewith the toe of the fixed jaw, the

pivoted jawalso having an elongated handle forming a prying lever for operating the complete I device, the pivoted jaw with a portion of its elongated handle being apouter side of the said support.

' 2. In a spike puller, a support consisting of a flat plate having lower fulcrum means consisting of forward and rear curved edge portions respectively differing in arcuate extent and the rear edge portion being normally higher than the front edge portion, the support also having an inner fiat unbroken sideadapted to bear against and be braced by thehead of a rail, and fixed and movable jaws disposed exclusively on the outer side of the support and provided with depending portions to engage the head of a spike, 'themovable aw having an elongated handle forming a prying lever for turning the support and the jaws unitedly on and against different portions of a rail. v

3. In a spike puller, a supportconsisting of a flat plate mainly circular in form and having an inner smooth side and a rear semi elliptical fulcrum extension, the lower edge of the support in advance of the extension and below-the lower edge of the latter being formed with teeth to engage the flange of a rail or other support, the flat supporting plate also having a tapping projection at a plane above and at a point opposite the location of the extension, a fixed jaw removably secured on the outer side of the flat plate support and having the lower eextremity thereof depending below the lower edge ofthesupport and formed with an inwardly inclined toe, and a movable jaw also mounted against the outer side of the flat plate support and provided with an inwardly inclined toe depending below the lower edge of the support to cooperate with the toe of the fixed jaw, the lower edge of my hand in presence of two subscribing wittllie plate suppori bGtVfiQGfi. thie jitws haging 3 nesses. c earance recess or t e ea 0 a spi e an the pivoted jaw having an elongated handle EDWARD FISHER GOBEN' 5 which forms a prying lever for operating Witnesses:

the complete device on its fulcrums. LINUS A. WILLIAMS,

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set CHAS. KOBB.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

